Multiple belt mule drive apparatus and systems/vehicles using same

Abstract

Multiple belt mule drive apparatus and systems for use with ground maintenance vehicles are provided. The apparatus may include two endless belts each engageable with a drive sheave of a prime mover and a driven sheave of a cutting deck. Each drive belt may further contact a guide pulley and an idler pulley on a tension side and a slack side of the belt, respectively. In one embodiment, the drive sheave has an axis generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Preferably, the guide pulley and the idler pulley associated with the first endless belt are, when the vehicle is in an operating configuration, located on a first side of a vertical plane passing through the drive sheave axis, while the guide pulley and idler pulley associated with the second endless belt are located on a second side.

Description

The present invention relates generally to maintenance vehicles having ground-engaging implements attached thereto and, more particularly, to belt drive systems adapted to deliver power to such implements from a vehicle prime mover.Ground maintenance vehicles adapted to support and operate any one of a number of ground-engaging implements are known. For instance, riding tractors may support such implements as cutting decks, snow throwers, sweepers, etc. While some of these implements may be self-powered, e.g., tow-behind cutting decks having on-board engines, other implements typically receive take-off power from a drive shaft of the vehicle's prime mover, e.g., engine. While the present invention is applicable to drive systems for use with most any ground maintenance vehicle and implement combination, it will, for the sake of brevity, be described with respect to commercial riding mowers having belly-mounted cutting decks.For mowers having large engines, e.g., 20 horsepower (hp) or...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

While beneficial for many applications, shaft drive systems have drawbacks.

As a result, the cost and complexity is generally perceived to be higher than that for belt drive systems.

Moreover, depending on the particular configuration, shaft drive systems may require increased maintenance, e.g., lubrication of bearings and gears, when compared to belt drive systems.

While mule drive systems avoid some of the disadvantages of shaft drive systems, problems remain.

For example, the horsepower carried by the belt is limited by its cross-sectional size, e.g., belts having larger cross-sections are able to transmit more power than those having smaller cross-sections.

Although able to transmit correspondingly greater power, belts of larger cross-section have more limited rates of belt twist.

Raising the engine, however, results in an undesirably higher center of gravity for the mower.

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